CINCINNATI — After 13 years, the prodigal son has returned to Victory Parkway.
What You Need To Know
- Sean Miller is back at Xavier after 13 years away from the program
- During his first stint in Cincinnati, Miller compiled a 120-47 record culminating in four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons
- Miller went to the University of Arizona and recorded a 302-109 ledger with the Wildcats before getting fired at the end of the 2020-21 season
On Friday, Xavier University formally introduced Sean Miller as its new men’s basketball head coach. The Cincinnati-area university made the announcement last weekend but invited fans to Cintas Center to hear from their new coach.
Most Xavier fans didn’t need an introduction, though. Miller spent eight years on the sidelines at Cintas Center, including five years as head coach (2004-2009). Before that, he served as associate head coach for three seasons under Thad Matta.
The job opening at XU became available Wednesday, March 16, when the university parted ways with former head Travis Steele. Miller has been out of basketball for the past year after being let go by the University of Arizona.
“That eight-year period was some of the happiest moments that (my family) has had. And it wasn’t all because of what happened on the court,” said Miller, who lived in Loveland during his first go-round in southwest Ohio. “It was just being part of a community like Cincinnati, being part of a university community like Xavier.”
Friday was Miller’s second time back on Xavier’s campus in the past eight years. He attended a Xavier victory over UConn in February.
Renovations to the Cintas Center — a new scoreboard and other amenities—and the campus impressed Miller. But he’s glad some things stayed the same, namely the support of the fan base.
To Miller, it still feels like “home.”
“Amy and I are humbled to be returning to Xavier,” he said. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to build on Xavier’s successful tradition and take the program to new heights.”
Xavier President Dr. Colleen Hanycz described the men’s basketball program as an “engine” for the university that runs on the support of donors, fans, students and student-athletes. The program offers a chance to “open up” and expose Xavier’s academic programs, its “Jesuit Catholic” mission and its campus life to prospective students.
“Like so many of you I have very high expectations for our coaches, our student-athletes and our program,” said Hanycz, who became the school’s 35th president last year. She expects each student-athlete to not only perform well on the playing surface, but also in the classroom and in the community.
Xavier officials said they talked to representatives from the University of Arizona, the NCAA and other officials, including some of his former players at Xavier, before deciding to make the hire.
Hanycz said after that evaluation she was “absolutely confident” in accepting Vice President and Director of Athletics Greg Christopher’s recommendation to bring back Miller as coach.
Christopher described Miller as an “elite college basketball coach” and a “proven winner” who understands the expectations, traditions and values of Xavier and the Big East Conference.
Miller, a former point guard at Pitt, called the Big East the top conference in basketball.
“To be part of the Big East Conference, that is exciting. To partner all that… exists at Xavier and then to have that stage of the Big East Conference, it sets this place apart from so many places.”
Continuation of a winning tradition
During Miller’s tenure, Xavier compiled a 120-47 (.719) record and had one of the most successful postseason periods in program history. The Musketeers made the NCAA Tournament in each of Miller’s final four seasons, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2008 and a trip to Sweet 16 the following year. XU won a school-record 30 games during the 2008 campaign.
Justin Doellman, who starred at Xavier under Miller for four seasons, called Friday an “exciting time” for him, both as a former player and a fan.
“It’s good to bring the band back together,” said Doellman, one of several former Xavier players in attendance Friday. Others included C.J. Anderson, Keith Jackson, Tom Compton and Drew Lavender.
Miller had a little fun with Lavender, who was a McDonald’s All American the same year at LeBron James. Miller joked that looking at Lavender tells you just how much time has passed since he was at Xavier.
“He’s a genuine, authentic guy,” Doellman said. “He truly cares about each one of his players and really wants to get the best out of them on and off the court.”
Beyond being an elite recruiter, Miller also received praise for his ability to motivate players. “He knows what buttons to push” to get the most out of his players, Doellman said, adding that the success he had at Xavier “really provides that.”
“Coach Miller holds you accountable and makes sure everyone is on the same page,” Doellman added about his former coach. “He knows how to get people to come together as a team.”
Doellman said the past few years have been difficult for him and other members of the program because of the “reputation of success” they established over the years.
Despite finding their way into the Top 25 polls several times under Steele, the team never found its stride with him at the helm. His teams failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons.
Before Steele took over in 2018, Xavier had reached the NCAA tournament in 16 of the previous 18 seasons.
The Musketeers defeated Cleveland State in the NIT on Tuesday, March 15, in Steele’s last game as coach.
Jonas Hayes has served as the team’s interim coach for the team’s postseason run. The team will play St. Bonaventure in the NIT semifinals Tuesday, March 29 in Madison Square Garden.
“Being a national power and playing well in the NCAA Tournament to not make it for a few years is disappointing,” he said. “But they have a talented group of kids here, which I think you’re seeing that in the NIT run. There’s a lot to be excited about.”
How did Coach Miller become available?
In his 12 seasons in Tucson, Miller made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including three Elite Eights and two Sweet 16s. The Arizona program produced 13 NBA draft picks, including five lottery picks during his tenure.
Despite the early success, Miller’s departure from Arizona was far from glamorous. His program became the focal point of a 2017 FBI investigation into shady recruiting practices across college basketball.
Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson was one of four assistant coaches arrested as part of the investigation. Richardson eventually pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery after being accused of accepting $20,000 to steer Arizona players to aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins, according to ESPN.
The ESPN report stated that during Dawkins’ trial, prosecutors played an FBI-intercepted phone call in which Richardson told Dawkins that Miller was paying $10,000 per month for former player DeAndre Ayton. Miller has denied paying players to attend Arizona, per ESPN.
The Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament in 2019 and couldn’t compete in 2021 because of a self-imposed postseason ban.
Arizona fired Miller last April with one year left on his contract.
On Friday, Miller said he couldn’t speak of that situation regarding the NCAA and that the matter would likely resolve itself soon. Miller said he’d speak to the matter at a more appropriate time.
Christopher said Xavier had done its due diligence over the week it spent pursuing Miller to be their coach. They talked to officials from the University of Arizona, representatives from the NCAA and others, Christopher said. He said he spoke to Miller for “hours and hours” as well.
“As the dust settled from nearly five years ago, the public record here is very well established. We know what’s accurate. We know what’s not accurate. We also know the questions Sean is going to be facing. So, over the course of the last week-plus, we’ve talked to dozens and dozens of people about Sean,” Christopher said.
“Ultimately, I have complete confidence in Sean Miller running our program going forward.”
